26 Jan France hands out first fines for anti-gay tweets
Three French Twitter users were fined this week for sending tweets that included homophobic hashtags. It’s the first time a French court has handed out convictions for homophobic abuse on Twitter.
The convictions date back to offences committed in 2013 when several homophobic hashtags appeared on Twitter in France, including “Gays must die because…”, (#Lesgaysdoiventdisparaîtrecar).
The three who were convicted in the Paris court this week posted tweets using the hashtag “let’s burn the gays on…” (#brûlonslesgayssurdu).
The case against the three had been brought by French charity Comité Idaho, which organizes the International Day Against Homophobia in France.
It had filed a complaint against the users for inciting hatred and violence on the basis of sexual orientation.
The punishments handed down however were fairly light – one was fined €300 while the other two were forced to pay €500 – given the maximum punishment is up to a year in prison and a €45,000 fine.
Although all three were forced to pay the same amount to Comité Idaho, which welcomed the ruling this week.
“It’s a significant victory,” Alexandre Marcel, president of the Comité Idaho, told The Local. “But it’s a small amount to pay for calling for the death of homosexuals.”
Gay rights groups in France regularly report homophobic hashtags, which Twitter then removes from trending topics to make them less visible.
But in August 2013 the hashtag #lesgaysdoiventdisparaîtrecar (Gays must die because), was displayed at the top of the list, and wasn’t immediately taken down. France’s then government spokeswoman Najat Vallaud-Belkacem was forced to step in and took to Twitter herself to denounce the trend.
Source: The Local